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Oh, and here is something you most certainly want to avoid purchasing at all costs:

THE FACEBOOK PORTAL.

How cool, you talk to it and it follows your face around. It is always plugged in and connected to the web 24/7/365. It activates with movement. It sends data back to Facebook and then listens to your conversations and gives you interest based ads in your timeline. Never mind you walk past it naked on occasion, it isn't going to record that data. It will NEVER be hacked to do nefarious things. NEVER EVER.

"Dave, why did you just put a condom in your wallet and where are you going? I tracked you from your bedroom.Your wife Sally had her tubes tied 8 years ago and she is 1800 miles away from you. Are you going to have sex with someone you will need to have protection with? I am going to contact Sally about this... Sally, this is HAL, I need to talk to you about Dave and his extra marital affairs."

So, a few months ago, this happened. We were looking to possibly buy a new 55" TV, Vizio or TCL at COSTCO, because the prices looked decent. I had not been on the web looking at those in a long while (half year?), but only physically at the stores. We had a conversation about both brands in the living room for a few minutes. Next day, both our web activities were peppered with ads for Vizio and TCL TVs. Neither of us have smartphones or smart watches. We don't have a smart TV. We don't have a digital assistant. We don't have any smart devices, save one - an old iPad mini version two, and it was "off." Neither of us knew the other had ads everywhere for the TVs until a couple days later when my wife mentioned it.

So what was going on? Our guess is that the iPad mini, even when off, was, or is, listening to everything we say, and all the time when in the vicinity of it. Damn spooky stuff.

was the iPad actually off off? Like in did you hold the top button down until the slider popped up and you slid it to the right?

Does the iPad have the Facebook app? The Facebook app would listen in on all things the iPad did and you used to have to opt out of that "feature." They get their money with targeted adds and since they know your email address, the can target anything they want in reality. I no longer have Apple products (freedom!) but I know a few years ago there was a big stir about this.

Remember Jewel cards and now Mariano's and Walgreen's reward programs? They see what you buy, then give out targeted coupon's the next time you are in. They know everything you buy when you use the rewards card. That also gets tied to a phone number. If the phone number is your mobile number, and Facebook and Instagram and Twitter and any other social media app is on that phone, they have your number, they have your email address, they have anything in your inbox.

Have a Gmail account? It reads your emails and targets ads specially picked for you. Google knows all about you.

Oh, and on your smart phone knows exactly where you are. Google maps knows exactly what the traffic is like around you because everyone around you is getting tracked via iPhone/Android GPS, find my phone, find my friends, can the Bakers Square app know you location, etc... Even when your phone is "off" location services knows where you are at. If you want the good in all this, you probably should get OK with the bad.

Big Brother has been here for a LONG time. Every day you are are being tracked more and more.

Soon, it will know your arrival time all the time even though you have never entered any apps.

"HAL, why did you know I was going to a Taylor Swift concert 500 miles away from my house?"

"Well Dave, I listened in on your phone call to Ticketmaster, saw your post on instagram with the tickets, and looked at your Google Play playlist."

"Hal, that is a little too much, don't you think."

"Dave, you didn't read the 140 page terms of use that that I showed you telling you to approve all this?"

"Hal, shut up"

"Yes Dave. You have to leave in 15 minutes for your prostate exam and pick up your prescription of Viagra."

Like I said, I can go on and on about this. I have work to do, but if you want to know more about privacy, the internet, and what "we" know about you or will know about you, then maybe I should start a thread on it.

Have outside wireless cameras with one's from the inside of your house?

On each camera, there is a little hole that only a pin can go in. If I use a pin and press inside that hole for 10-15 seconds, it will reset the IP on that camera. I can sit 100 feet away from it and get the newly set IP by your internet provider router/modem. The default password for most of these is easily found on their website. With those 2 items, we are in on that camera. Takes about a minute. Repoint it elsewhere, you won't know it is down for a few days, and we will be viewing exactly what we want to view at your house.

(as stated before, I never, or will never do any of this in a bad way, but I am happy to tell you this because there are people out there that will. My job is to know all this and I need my job. Some others are not as honest as I).

That also gets tied to a phone number. If the phone number is your mobile number, and Facebook and Instagram and Twitter and any other social media app is on that phone, they have your number, they have your email address, they have anything in your inbox.

There are companies matching up all your info behind the scenes anyway. You may use your landline # for Mariano's, but they'll match that to all your other info and ultimately link to mobile device. Then GE58 shopped at a store that's large enough where it's easy to tell he's looking at electronics and not just bulk booze and Cheerios, and there are companies like Euclid that will pick up on that. It's all pretty fascinating.

There are companies matching up all your info behind the scenes anyway. You may use your landline # for Mariano's, but they'll match that to all your other info and ultimately link to mobile device. Then GE58 shopped at a store that's large enough where it's easy to tell he's looking at electronics and not just bulk booze and Cheerios, and there are companies like Euclid that will pick up on that. It's all pretty fascinating.

exactly. I read an article a few years ago about how much of your data is out there and you have no idea. I cannot remember they average amount, but it was staggering. It is even worse now.

Shell gas card. Get $0.05 cents off on gas with their card. That is $0.05 cents a gallon they are giving you for all your data. You bought gas, a package of chocolate covered Twinkies, a Monster drink and slim jims. Our targeting advertiesment will be on the screen your next stop.

Those new boards on I-90 are for traffic issues only. For now. Your iPass won't be used for anything other than tolls, really.

GEPD used social media (Twitter) in a positive direction today, thumbs up. While the main reason seems to aid in their apprehending the suspect (who could argue against that?), it does also alert the community. All without a goofy GIF, meme or joke. Maybe this is the start of informing the public professionally with modern tools. Kudos.

"Officers responded to a burglary in progress at the Taco Bell/KFC Restaurant (370 IL 38) @ 8:30AM. An unknown woman was inside when employees opened for the day. The woman fled before officers arrived on scene. Offender described as a black female wearing a dark "puffy" coat, dark pants, black shoes with white soles, gray scarf and a black backpack. If you have any information please call 630-469-1187. Thank you!"